Guwahati: North East Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation (NEHHDC) signed an MoU with KOSHA, an award-winning technology start-up, to transform the handloom sector in the North East region.
The agreement has been signed recently between Brigadier Rajiv Kumar Singh (Retd), Managing Director of NEHHDC, and Vijaya Krishnappa, co-founder and CEO of KOSHA.
As per the MoU, KOSHA will support NEHHDC increasing demand for genuine handicraft and handloom products of the North East by way of brand building, using technology for authentication and traceability.
KOSHA has developed proprietary and innovative solutions leveraging IoT (Internet of Things), BlockChain, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud computing. The solutions can be used to determine the authenticity of handloom and crafts, and also manage the supply chain. Consumers while buying the products can check the authenticity of the product with their smartphone without a need to have any special application.
Brigadier Rajiv Kumar Singh (Retd), MD, NEHHDC, said the handloom and craft sectors in the North East are facing several challenges and one of the most serious ones is proving the authenticity of the handmade products in a market that is flooded with counterfeits.
"As globally traceability is becoming a key criterion in marketing, it is imperative to adopt technologies that can transform the craft sector in the North East by addressing its entire value chain,"
Vijaya Krishnappa said the team started by himself, Ramki Kodipady, and Vishal Choudhry has worked extensively in the craft, technology, and fashion sectors respectively. They have started KOSHA with a mission to build trust and respect for handmade products and its technologies are crafted to build artisans' pride and consumer experience, stated a press release.
FIRST Business Portal addressing the potential of business capability of North East Region.
